


Little Songbird

by summerforbran



Category: In the Heights
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-22
Updated: 2017-02-22
Packaged: 2018-09-26 04:38:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9862919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/summerforbran/pseuds/summerforbran
Summary: Two years can feel like an eternity. After a tragedy, Pete and Usnavi both need each other more than they realize.





	

“Good morning, sleepyhead.” Came Sonny’s gentle voice in Pete’s ear. Pete mumbled something that sounded vaguely like “five minutes” in response as he snuggled deeper into the comforter. Pete didn’t know how long it was before Sonny resorted to shaking his shoulder to rouse him, but it definitely wasn’t the five minutes he’d requested. 

“Okay, okay! You win! I’m up.” Pete laughed, and rolled over onto his other side. When he opened his eyes he was met by nothing but darkness, and Sonny's untouched side of the bed. He grabbed his phone off his nightstand to check the time, and felt his heart drop when he saw the date. Two years. Two years since Sonny had last woken him up that way. Two years since the last time he’d run his hand through Sonny’s hair, and kissed his lips. Yet it didn’t feel possible that it had been that long. All of the joy Sonny had always brought him and the pain of losing him were as fresh in his mind as if everything had happened yesterday.

Pete clamped his hand over his mouth in an attempt to quiet the sobs that had begun racking through his body. Though there was nobody else there to hear them. After recovering as much as he was able to, he slowly got out of bed to get ready to face whatever the day had in store.

It was around 5:30 AM when Pete got to the bodega. It was still jarring to see somebody who wasn’t Sonny manning the register. Pete couldn’t even say that he knew the kid’s name with complete certainty. Nor did he really care to. Pete didn’t go to the bodega nearly as often as he used to. It was just too painful. 

Usnavi came out of the back room soon after Pete got his cup of coffee, though it didn’t look like his morning was going any better than Pete’s. Pete let Usnavi make his own coffee before making his way over to him. Usnavi looked at Pete with bloodshot eyes. Any hint of the animosity Usnavi had once felt toward him was now long gone.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you here today,” Pete said simply.

Usnavi shrugged. “The people of the barrio need their coffee. No importa el día,” he replied. “I need to keep my mind busy, anyway.”

Pete looked down at the styrofoam cup in his hand. “I was gonna visit Sonny later… I haven’t been as often as I’ve wanted to lately,” he explained, ashamed that he hadn’t been in a while. “I can wait until after your shift, if you want to go with me.”

Usnavi frowned, biting his lip. “Don’t change your plans for me,” he answered. “Maybe I’ll meet up with you later.” Usnavi preferred going to Sonny alone. It was always vulnerable for him, and he didn’t want anyone to see him like that.

**************************************

Sonny had once told Pete that if anything ever happened to him, he wanted his ashes buried in an urn that grew a tree. “I want to leave behind something that’s nicer to look at than a tombstone,” was exactly what he’d told Pete. At the time, Pete couldn’t fathom anything happening to Sonny, and had told him that he had plenty of time. Though he kept it in his mind, and had made sure that Usnavi knew that’s what Sonny had wanted. Pete had helped as much as he could with the expenses.

Pete spent the next few hours after leaving the bodega just wandering the streets. He’d wound up at a small café, and ordered another coffee before he could bring himself to head over to the park where they’d planted Sonny’s tree. 

Once he got there, he made his way directly to the small pine tree that was growing near the back of the park, and sat down in front of it. The tree was already about four and a half feet tall, but still so thin. The fear that it would be destroyed anytime there was a severe storm was always on his mind. “Not much longer until you're Sonny height,” he said softly, tracing Sonny’s name on the plaque. “I miss you so much, my Songbird.” Pete didn’t even try to wipe away the tears that were rolling down his cheeks. If Sonny had survived the crash, he would’ve been turning 25 soon. He had been preparing to graduate college. It wasn’t fair.

Pete heard footsteps behind him, but he didn’t pay them much attention until he felt somebody’s hand on his shoulder. “Have you been here since this morning?” 

The sound of Usnavi’s voice startled Pete out of his thoughts, and he quickly wiped away the tears. “No, I just got here a little while ago,” he answered, glancing at Usnavi. “I can go. I know that you want to be alone.”

Usnavi gently squeezed Pete’s shoulder. “No, you can stay,” he answered, sitting beside him. “You love Sonny, too.”

For a while, the two of them sat in silence. “Do you ever see or hear something that just reminds you so much of Sonny that you actually need to stop what you're doing?” Usnavi asked after a while.

The question took Pete by surprise. He knew that Usnavi rarely talked about Sonny with anyone but Vanessa or sometimes Benny. “All the time. I could've sworn that he woke me up this morning,” he answered. “I could hear his breath, and everything.” Pete rubbed the side of his neck distractedly. “I really thought that he was going to be right next to me when I opened my eyes. That somehow the past couple years have been an awful, fucked up nightmare.”

“I still feel like he's gonna walk into the bodega at any time to buy a soda,” Usnavi admitted, a far away look on his face. “I walk by that intersection every day. Sometimes I think that I can hear the crash if I listen hard enough. I know that's ridiculous… lo vi ese día, Pete.” Usnavi started shaking, and his tears fell freely. 

Pete tentatively wrapped an arm around Usnavi’s shoulders. When Usnavi didn’t push him away, he pulled him into a tight hug. “It’s okay. I’ve got you,” he said said, his voice breaking. He wasn’t able to stop his own tears from falling. “I’ve got you.”

They stayed like that for a few minutes, neither of them wanting to move. Eventually, Usnavi stood up. “You always made Sonny so happy when he was with you, and he never doubted how much you loved him. I think Sonny would want us to think of the good memories more than anything,” he said, holding his hand out to Pete. “C’mon, I’ll walk back to your apartment with you.” Pete smiled slightly, and reached for Usnavi’s hand. Once Pete was up, Usnavi clapped him lightly on the back. 

Pete looked back over his shoulder once as they walked away. Though he knew that the ache would always be there, he was feeling more lighthearted than he had in a long time. “Goodnight, little Songbird. I hope I can make you happy until I see you again.”

**Author's Note:**

> This was meant to be Pete/Sonny fluff, but that... didn't happen. I do have an idea for fluff, though. So hopefully I'll have that up soon. The "Songbird" nickname came from an AU my friend and I made up.


End file.
